Shaw Introduces Bills Covering Civil Rights, Children, Insurance

State Rep. Sean Shaw has filed six bills he wants passed in the upcoming Legislative Session.

TAMPA – State Rep. Sean Shaw, D-Tampa, says he has filed six pieces of legislation he hopes to get passed in the legislative session that began this week.

He offered a brief description of each proposal:

House Bill 177 – Suspension of Civil Rights

This bill is about ensuring that one mistake does not permanently impact someone’s ability to be a contributing member of society. Upon the passing of HB 177, only those convicted of a life (capital) felony or a forcible (violent) felony would have their civil rights suspended. These civil rights include the right to vote, the right to sit on a jury, the right to hold public office, and the right to possess a firearm.

HB 421 – Public Housing Authority Insurance

This bill seeks to protect self-insurance companies by allowing them to keep their current clients and to continue to be able to compete in the Florida market. It supports the availability of affordable and workforce housing with no cost to the state. Also, if passed it will allow for open market competition among varying insurance providers and products. The bill does not create any unfair advantage for any single insurance product and it maintains the involvement of the Public Housing Authority’s participation in these programs.

HB 639 – Emergency Assessments for Property Insurance

This bill aims to update the laws that govern Citizen’s Property Insurance Corp. and Florida’s insurance guaranty association, also known as FIGA. FIGA is the safety net for insurance consumers should their insurance company become insolvent – just like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is a safety net for banks. The current law allows for FIGA to help insurance consumers get their claims paid, when a mega storm hits – like a category 5 storm blowing through Tampa. This bill prepares Florida and FIGA to answer the call of condominium association residents and gives FIGA the ability to pay claims timely, in the unlikely event that their insurance company becomes insolvent.

HB 641 – Criminal Justice

This legislation will save taxpayer money by diverting non-violent offenders from prison to treatment programs. This saves the state money that would otherwise be spent warehousing prisoners whose incarceration does not promote public safety. The bill also recognizes the importance of judicial discretion in sentencing by allowing a court to depart from mandatory minimums in certain instances. It revives the Criminal Justice Sentencing Commission to make recommendations regarding the Offense Severity Ranking Chart used to assign sentencing points to offenders.

HB 783 – Tampa Success Zone

This bill creates a Tampa Success Zone within Hillsborough County as a children’s initiative to assist disadvantaged areas in creating community-based service network and programming.

HB 911 -1nsurance Adjusters

This bill will revise requirements for certain insurance adjusters and adjusting firms to obtain licenses or appointments and will also revise certain insurance adjusters’ scope of practice. The bill will require primary adjusters to be designated at each adjusting firm and adjusting firm location.

Shaw represents House District 61, which covers much of Tampa’s urban core including Ybor City, Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights and East Tampa.